District Readiness Self-Assessment

Is your district ready to support a turnaround?

Chronically low performing schools do not exist in a bubble. They are part of a system. For this reason, their success at transforming themselves into high-performers will depend on much more than the actions of adults within the school building. It will hinge in large part on the support they also get from the district.

Turnaround experts at the University of Virginia have identified key elements within the school district that need to be in place to support the transformation of an individual school. Before you embark on a school turnaround, your school leadership team should assess the degree to which these elements are present.

District Leadership

Is the school board committed to do whatever it takes to transforming a chronically low performing school? Indicators: the board has a vision for high performance, a relentless focus on student achievement, and a willingness to make and defend decisions that may be unpopular with other constituents.

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Does the district administration have the expertise, resources and authority to manage and support the low-performing school?Indicators: the superintendent is available and supportive; the district has dedicated “turnaround” staff; the team and the school’s principal are protected from bureaucratic distractions unrelated to improving student achievement.

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Does the district have a focused turnaround strategy that is supported by key stakeholders?Indicators: the plan is drafted and supported by the community, including teachers and other representatives of the targeted school, but is owned by the school board; the plan sets three to four goals with workable strategies, aligned resources, and measurable targets; the plan includes one important, easily achievable goal.

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Infrastructure to provide needed support and tailor accountability to the particular turnaround situation

Is the district willing to hold the turnaround school accountable for its commitment to improvement and the faithful implementation of the turnaround plan?Indicators: the plan includes measurable benchmarks to gauge the school’s progress toward goals; the principal is empowered to make difficult staffing decisions when needed.

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Does accountability go hand-in-hand with district-provided support?Indicators: the district provides support that is individualized to the turnaround school’s unique needs; the school board is willing to allocate extra resources to the school as needed; the district seeks and deploys other sources of funds and support available for turnarounds schools (eg., SIG, other state and federal grants, university partnerships).

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Does the principal of the turnaround school have the authority to drive changes?Indicators: along with accountability, the principal has autonomy to make decisions to adapt to the school’s unique needs, such as changes to school schedules, staffing and budgets.

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Capacity to recruit, develop and retain talented staff

Does the district have policies and processes for the recruitment and retention of highly skilled, effective teachers?Indicators: the district has policies in place to attract highly skilled teachers to high-needs schools; the district supports ongoing, collaborative professional development time embedded in the school week and focused on best practices in turnaround schools; the district has an effective teacher evaluation system that emphasizes continuous improvement.

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Is the district able to recruit and hire principals and administrators with turnaround experience and skills?Indicators: the district has rigorous, competency-based hiring policies; recruitment processes are designed to find individuals who are attracted to turnaround situations.

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Does the district provide leadership development opportunities specifically for administrators in turnaround schools?Indicators: the district works in partnership with local colleges to provide professional development for principals; principals have regular opportunities to work with their colleagues to share practices.

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Effective instructional tools and support

Does the district provide interim assessments aligned to high-level curriculum?Indicators: Interim assessments define the level of expected performance and track students’ progress toward standards; data from interim assessment informs instruction in order to personalize learning, not to punish staff or students.

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Does the district provide a user-friendly and robust data system? Indicators: The data system contains both leading and lagging indicators of student performance; teachers and principals are trained in the effective use of data.

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Is the district characterized by a culture of data use?Indicators: The district has policies in place that encourage and support teachers and principals’ use of data for continuous improvement; the school board uses data in its decision making and in communicating to the public.

Results

If your total is:

You can start planning, but be sure to pay attention to building district capacity in your weaker areas as part of the plan. Click here to begin.

Between 0-31 points

Before using Leading the Change, you should first examine your district’s capacity in more depth so you can be sure the district can support school turnaround

About the District Readiness Self-Assessment

Adapted primarily from “District Readiness to Support School Turnaround: A Users’ Guide to Inform the Work of State Education Agencies and Districts”, University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders in Education. Also informed by “Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools,” U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse; Report of the VSBA Task Force on Schools in Challenging Environments, Virginia School Boards Association; and Data-First, Center for Public Education.

Next Step

Now, take a look at a brief overview of the data cycle and how it can be best used to address turnaround schools.